Lectures on Calvinism

I'm currently beginning Abraham Kuyper’s Lectures on Calvinism which he delivered at Princeton in 1898. Kuyper (1837-1920) was a Dutchman, and a giant of the faith. He edited two weekly papers for many years, one political and one theological. He served as a pastor and theologian, formed a theological seminary, the Free University of Amsterdam, served in the Dutch Parliament for many years, and finally served as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1901-1905).

In 1897, Dr. Kuyper said: “One desire has been the ruling passion of my life. One high motive has acted like a spur upon my mind and soul. And sooner than that I should seek escape from the sacred necessity that is laid upon me, let the breath of life fail me. It is this: That in spite of all worldly opposition, God’s holy ordinances shall be established again in the home, in the school and in the State for the good of the people; to carve as it were into the conscience of the nation the ordinances of the Lord, to which Bible and Creation bear witness, until the nation pays homage again to God.”

This burning passion is captured in his lectures, which I will review over the coming weeks. These lectures express Calvinism’s biblical worldview more than merely a theological system of thought. It is this thinking and practice which we need more than ever if we are to see renewal in our own state.

In forthcoming posts, I will summarize Kuyper’s thoughts. Lest we relegate Calvinism’s worldview to history to quickly and assume it may have worked then but not now, hear what Kuyper had to say about his own land in his early years “Church life was cold and formal. Religion was almost dead. There was no Bible in the schools. There was no life in the nation.”

It sounds like our own land in so many ways. Yet, God used Abraham Kuyper’s work to bring revival, and if he is so pleased he will use our lowly efforts to apply a biblical worldview to our culture as well. So, let us go about our royal work of searching out the things concealed by God.